Rib sticking Polenta with Cabbage

The weather has been cold and snowy around here, in case you haven't noticed by the plethora of snowy pictures that have been gracing my blog lately. So if you are looking for something hearty and comforting I think you'll find this will do rather nicely.

This recipe is based on one from the Nonna Genia's cookbook, that I was blathering on about in my last post. I love polenta and always have ever since I was first introduced to it, back in my vegetarian and first days away from home. Polenta here is a northern thing, where I grew up it was a southern thing. Any way I look at it, it is a comforting thing. It is a one of those comfy stodgy recipes that really relies on quality ingredients to lift it memorable fare. I used our local "Frutto Permesso's", organic stone ground heirloom variety,"Ottofile", as the base, along with potatoes from Papa Dante's garden. Savoy was my cabbage choice, since we usually have that type of cabbage all winter from the garden, and I'm rather partial to it. At the moment the snow is too deep to disturb them from their cozy snow bed, and hopefully we'll get to them later on his winter or spring, at least I hope so. I sprinkled a few grains of smoky sea salt that I picked up at the Salone del Gusto this year to give it that special flavor Merjin inadvertently had given it when she made here over Christmas. Fresh grated grana cheese and extra virgin olive oil pulls it all together for the proper finish. I thought I might make it a bit thinner next time, so that it is more of a soup that a gruel, but Fabrizio liked it just as it was, thick and creamy. I had some potato foccacia made that made a nice accompaniment. I will give you a basic list of the ingredients and if you would like more specifics of the recipe, write me and I will send them to you.
You can purchase the Nonna Genia cook book in the states from here.

Polenta al Cavolo

Savoy cabbage
onion
celery
carrots
potatoes
cooked borlotti beans
polenta, coarse grain
salt
olive oil, extra virgin
hard grating cheese

Oh yes and by the way, these are my photos and not theirs, but you could tell that couldn't you!